IWK and the Nova Scotia Health Authority Should Have OPEN Board Meetings

Kevin McNamara, former Deputy Minister of Health and CARP NS advisor, makes the wise suggestion that the IWK and the Nova Scotia Health Authority should have open board meetings.
CARP Nova Scotia supports this excellent recommendation.
Kevin writes:
“I recently went on the Nova Scotia Health Authority website to see if their board minutes were published. I contacted the health authority about this a few months ago and they said they might consider it.

I believe this board and the board of the IWK should go further and have open board meetings, which even the press could attend.

When I was CEO of South Shore Health, board meetings were open to the public and the press. This was a policy put in place prior to my tenure and it worked very well. It was an opportunity to advise the public of issues they should be aware of and an opportunity to educate.

It was a chance for the chair and CEO reports to be made public. Further, financial statements were public information on a monthly basis.

Listening to the Auditor General report last week, the record of both authorities in meeting recommendations was poor. Items such as this would be addressed monthly and would keep public attention on progress.

The board can go in-camera for issues such as personnel matters and budget preparations, consider advice to cabinet until approved by government. Otherwise, there is no reason for board meetings to be closed.

If this could be done successfully at South Shore Health, it can be done successfully at the Nova Scotia Health Authority and IWK. It is time to inform the public, especially where the Department of Health and Wellness has abdicated some of its accountability and responsibility and turned it over to the DHAs.”